The Traveller
by Avengerlicious
Summary: Lyla Mitchell is a certified Marvel geek, but what happens when she stumbles upon a portal to the universe she's only ever dreamed of visiting?
1. Prologue

**A/N**

 **Hey guysssss, so this is a story that I've been working on for a while and I'm so excited about uploading it. This chapter's pretty short because it's the prologue but the next chapter is where things really start to happen so yeah, enjoy! Drop a review if you like it :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

For a girl who has never stepped foot on an aeroplane, moving fifteen thousand kilometres across the world is kind of a big deal.

My mother, on the other hand, could not be more thrilled.

"Stop sulking, hun," my mum teases, ruffling my hair like you would a twelve year old boy.

"Do we have to go?" Just thinking about it makes my stomach do backflips. "My whole life is here."

She turns away from the suitcase she's packing, casting a saddened look my way.

"Listen, Lyla, I know that it's scary moving so far away, but it's something I have to do. Yeah you'll be leaving all of your friends behind, but you can make plenty of new ones in New York."

Is she serious right now? Friends are not like a broken pencil, something you can replace without a second thought.

I shake my head, feeling the salty tears burn my eyes.

"Whatever," I mumble, swallowing back the lump in my throat. I down the last of my smoothie and begin my slow trek up the stairs to my bedroom. I can't delay the inevitable much longer.

My room is a complete mess when I walk in. My desk chair is buried under a mountain of clean laundry, my book shelf is topped with my Marvel figurines scattered chaotically, and my dresser has several empty moisturiser bottles and deodorant cans on display. My eyes shift to my bed where two fairly large open suitcases sit.

 _Only pack the necessities_ , my mum's words echo in my mind. The company she works for has an apartment, fully furnished, ready for us to move into in New York, so we're not shipping anything over, which also means that I'll have to leave a whole lot of my possessions behind.

I start with the clothes, more specifically the abundance of fabric on my swivel chair. _Oh boy._

* * *

Forty-eight hours later and mum and I are lugging four crammed suitcases through the hallway in our apartment building in New York City. It's the middle of the night, yet the city is more alive than ever.

"Here we are," mum says, the excitement shining through her voice of exhaustion. She slides the key inside the hole and twists. A distinct click of the door unlocking sounds and mum pushes on the door, revealing our new home. Colourful lights from outside pour in through the windows, painting the walls rainbow.

It's so weird, staying in the city. I've always lived in a huge house in the suburbs, but now we're in a stuffy apartment with the sounds of traffic replacing those of ice cream trucks and chirping birds. I used to own a dog, but now we're not even allowed a pet fish.

"Get some sleep, hun. We've got a big day tomorrow," mum orders, finishing with a yawn.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **Hey guys! Thanks so much for reviewing the prologue :) Again, this chapter is bit tedious until the end, but I promise the next one will be a whole lot more interesting. Enjoy! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers**

* * *

"Wakey wakey."

My mum softly shakes me, pulling me out of my deep slumber.

"No…" I groan, swiping her hands away.

"Come on, Ly. We've gotta get you enrolled in school."

"No," I grumble into my pillow. "Go away."

"Don't make me get the bucket…" Mum threatens. For as long as I can remember, my mum has used a bucket-full of ice water to get me out of bed when I'm being difficult.

"I'm up!" I sit up instantly, glaring at my mother. How dare she wake me at this ungodly hour?

I take a glimpse at the clock on the wall opposite, which reads 6:30AM. I groan and roll out of bed.

"Brekky's on the table," she tells me as I slowly drag myself out of my room.

We eat our breakfast in silence. I'm still incredibly groggy from the practically restless sleep I had, while mum seems to be thinking about the day ahead. I leave my empty plate in the sink and head to the bathroom to get ready. During my well-deserved hot shower, I plan my outfit for my first school day. I can't go out looking like a slob; not yet anyway. I need to make a good first impression. It's not overly hot outside, nor is it really cold, so I opt with sky blue skinny jeans and a white top.

After redoing my make-up three times and my mum losing her patience with me, we set off in her company car to my new school.

"So what's the name of the school again?" I ask her. This must be the fourth time I've asked, but I can't seem to remember the exact name. Mum exhales loudly, obviously frustrated with me. She's not exactly the most pleasant woman to be around in the mornings.

"Manhattan East High School."

"Ah, that's right."

Silence fills the air, which begins to annoy me. I don't particularly like silences.

"It feels weird not wearing a uniform," I muse. Mum grunts in response. She must've skipped her morning coffee.

The car slows to a stop in front of a large red brick building. It seems quite old and historic. A sign at the front gates reads the school's name, followed by its Latin motto: _Scienta est potestas (knowledge is power)._

I follow a few steps behind my mother, taking in my surroundings. It's still quite early, with only the odd student walking around.

The building from the inside matches its exterior in age, with cement walls coloured yellow, the paint peeling and chipped concrete in places.

I stare at my mum as she talks to a lady in administration, approaching only when she begins to fill out some paperwork. She slides a subject selection form toward me, and I glance down at it in annoyance.

It doesn't have half of the subjects that my old school offered. Film studies, my favourite subject, isn't listed. Neither is Earth Science.

I finally cross off six boxes by the subjects that I want to take; English, maths, P.E., home economics, ancient history and my personal favourite, visual art.

The administrator lady runs all our forms through the system, and after the most painful fifteen minutes ever, I'm handed my class timetable and left to fend for myself.

"Have a good day, hun," mum says, kissing my cheek before taking off to work.

I glance down at my schedule for my form class; G23.

Where the hell is G23?

* * *

Never has walking through a school hallway been so terrifying. I've been surrounded by the same people since I was five years old, but now? Now I'm wading through a sea of strangers, already months into the semester. Some cast interested glances my way as I shuffle past them, but mostly I go unnoticed.

I take a second peek at my timetable, trying to locate my class. As I spin around a couple of times, trying to make sense of my whereabouts, the dull school bell begins to echo through the hallways. Damn it.

"Um, excuse me?" I whisper timidly to a small brunette as she rummages through her locker. She doesn't seem to notice, so I repeat myself, louder this time. "Excuse me?"

She jumps slightly in surprise, and turns to face me with a dimply smile on her face.

"Yeah?"

"Um, could you please help me find my form class?"

"Form class? You mean homeroom?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, homeroom! Sorry," I say, laughing nervously.

She looks at the timetable in my hands. "Oh, you're right next door to mine. Come on," she grins. She slams her locker shut, and we begin to make our way down the hall.

"I'm Krystal," she introduces.

"Lyla," I respond, returning her smile.

"Nice to meet you Lyla. I absolutely love your accent! Are you Australian?"

I giggle at her enthusiasm. "Yeah, I'm Australian."

"Well, here we are. I'll see you around." Krystal flashes me a toothy smile and disappears into her classroom, and I enter the one beside her.

The class is chaos. Loud chatter fills the room, kids sit on desks; some are even standing on them. I head straight to the teacher's desk and introduce myself, handing her my timetable. She checks my name off the roll and tells me to take a seat.

I take a lonely seat in the back corner of the room, wishing more than anything that I could be back in Australia.

* * *

By lunch time I had managed to almost completely slip under the radar, with only a few people noticing my existence, and even then it was only briefly. Krystal is still the only friend I've made today, if you can even call her that. She smiled at me from across the cafeteria earlier, but that's about it.

I sigh and take a seat at an empty table in the furthest corner. My packed lunch, pasta salad to be precise, sits in front of me, untouched. I don't especially feel hungry.

"Ooh, that looks delicious," I hear a girl say. I look up and see Krystal sitting across from me, along with a blonde and a ranga.

"Hi," I greet shyly.

"Lyla, meet Ruby and Hayley," the brunette says, gesturing to the blonde, and then the red-head. "Ruby and Hayley, meet Lyla."

"Oh my gosh, you are so pretty," Hayley gushes, grinning at me.

"Thank you," I beam, feeling a blush creep onto my cheeks.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I spot a plastic bowl of spaghetti sail through the air, mere seconds before it collides with Krystal's brown locks. A look of shock, followed by anger, crosses the short girl's face. She shoots right up, and glares at the cheerleader that towers before her.

"What the hell was that for?" she shrieks, stepping forward boldly.

The raven-haired girl smirks at the smaller girl's attempts at looking threatening.

Something inside me boils, I'm not quite sure what, but it's enough to make me stand up and step between the two.

"Guys," I warn.

"Who's this bitch?" the cheerleader snarls, turning to her blonde sidekick. The other girl shrugs. The cheerleader looks back at me, and seems as if she's about to swing a punch. When she does, I block it easily, and get her in the gut instead. Mum would always tell me, _never throw the first punch, but don't be afraid to throw the second one._

"Girls!" the booming voice of a teacher interrupts the preppy girl's wails. His eyes shift from Krystal, to me, and to the cheerleader.

"You," he points at me. "Detention." He takes out his pad and writes out a detention slip.

"Sir, I didn't mean-"

"I don't want to hear it."

The slip gets pushed into my hands and the teacher stalks off. Great start, Lyla.

By the time I find the detention room, I'm already ten minutes late.

"Sorry I'm late," I mumble to the teacher, handing her my detention slip. "I got lost."

"Take a seat," she tells me, not looking up from the papers on her desk.

There are only two other people in detention; one is a boy with shaggy brown hair and a glazed look in his eyes, and the other is a tall brunet, who, might I add, is a damn fine piece of eye candy.

I catch the cute one's stare, and we hold eye contact as I choose my seat. I sit five seats to his left and turn my attention to the clock hanging on the wall.

* * *

There's only one thing I hate more than packing, and that's unpacking. My first day of school is done and dusted and I can honestly say that I hate New York.

I unzip the first large suitcase that sits on the polished wooden floor. Inside are clothes, and sandwiched between two layers of material are my more fragile possessions. I fling the top layer of clothing aside and begin to sort the black bookshelf beside me.

The second suitcase is the same story, only with my books, movies, CDs and comics inside instead.

It takes roughly about an hour to get that sorted. Next comes the boring bit; the wardrobe.

This wardrobe isn't a walk-in like the one I had back home. It's a simple slider mirror door that reveals a classic closet with a shelf on the top.

I grab the icky green swivel chair and pull it towards the wardrobe. I decide to start with the top shelf, where I plan to store every piece of clothing I don't like.

It takes one wobbly step up onto the chair and a hand on the shelf to find my balance.

Slowly I begin to reach down, taking items one by one, folding them neatly before setting them on that top shelf. As I pull up, clutching a disgusting yellow cardigan, I bump my head on the bottom of the shelf. The next thing I know, I'm tumbling into the back wall of the closet, and into complete darkness.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Hey guysss, thank you so much for reviewing the last two chapters, it means so much :) Also yeah I know the whole wardrobe thing is like Narnia, but worry not, it's not exactly the same and I do reference Narnia in the chapter below. Anyhoo enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel**

* * *

Everything's dark. The silence is eerie. The benumbing air bites my skin. Time stands still.

Minutes pass. I'm floating in a sea of nothing.

The next thing I know, I'm tumbling into what looks like a wardrobe from the inside. Head first, I crash into the wooden double doors, busting them open to reveal a small bedroom, and a boy.

His bright green eyes widen to the size of dinner plates, hands flying to cover a certain area, while a white towel is sprawled at his feet. I can't say I don't like what I see.

"Who are you?" he demands, while slowly crouching to lift the towel to cover himself.

"Where am I?" I ask, completely ignoring his question and taking a look around his room. It's quite cramped, with a bunk bed on the left wall, a small desk with a computer on it and a door leading to a teensy little bathroom on the right wall, and the wardrobe I had just fallen out of.

This has to be a dream. I can't just walk through my wardrobe and find myself in some guy's room. This isn't bloody Narnia.

"Answer my question." His eyes are narrowed and his voice is harsh.

"Answer mine first."

"That's classified."

I force a sarcastic laugh out, mocking him.

"You sound like you just walked out of some cheesy spy movie," I tease.

"Who. Are. You?" The boy's sharp green eyes glare into mine, almost threatening me.

"Girl you don't know," I answer, taking another look around the room.

My eyes land on the white symbol that's stamped on the boy's shut laptop. It's the eagle of S.H.I.E.L.D..

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" I raise my eyebrow at him. "Didn't peg you as a Marvel fan."

"Marvel?" he questions.

"You're kidding, right?" I raise an eyebrow, curious about his confusion. If he isn't a fan, why is there a S.H.I.E.L.D. sticker on his laptop?

"Are you high?"

I laugh.

"Are you? What's with the S.H.I.E.L.D. shit then?" I challenge.

"That's classified."

"You sound just like Coulson," I smile, remembering all the times he'd say that .

"You know Director Coulson?" The boy's eyes are wide, full of wonder.

"Yeah…?" I answer cautiously. Seriously, is he high?

"Is he as good as they say he is?"

"Um yeah, I guess."

"Have you met the Avengers too?"

"Okay mate, seriously, what are you on about? You're scaring me."

"Huh?" We wear a matching expression of confusion.

"You're talking about them like they're real people…"

"Because they are?"

I would be enjoying his shirtlessness a whole lot more if he wasn't scaring the crap out of me. I must've walked into a mental institution. That would explain the utter blandness of the room.

"Where am I?" I ask again, hoping that this time I'll get an actual answer.

He's cautious, I can tell. He seems to actually be considering telling me where we are.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy."

"Right," I say sardonically, a laugh escaping my lips.

"You don't believe me," he states.

"How dumb do you think I am?"

He's taken aback by my words.

Definitely a mental patient. I just hope he doesn't have a knife stashed somewhere.

"I'm so confused right now…" he mumbles, still clutching the towel around his waist.

"Yeah? Join the club."

"You say you know Coulson, so why don't you believe me about the academy?"

"Because he's not real," I say bluntly.

"But you said-"

"Yes, from movies and comics!" I exclaim, my arms flailing in frustration.

"Now you're the one scaring me."

"Seriously, where are we? The state of delusion?"

He ignored my jab at him and simply repeats what he said the last time I asked that question.

"If you're so convinced that we're in S.H.I.E.L.D., then prove it," I challenge.

Instantly he walks over to his desk, picks a plastic card up and throws it to me, frisbee style. I miss, obviously, and crouch to pick it up off the beige carpet. It's an ID card.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy Junior Operations

"Calum Harper…" I read his name out. "Wow, you cos players go all out, don't you?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Cos players? Look, I don't know who you are or how the hell you got in my room, but if you don't tell me right now, I'm going to report you to Agent Watkins."

My mum's right, I do have an overactive imagination.

"Jeez, don't get your knickers in a knot. My name's Lyla and I came out of your closet."

"How?"

"I was packing shit up in my wardrobe at home and I fell in, and now I'm here." Must've bumped my head real hard too.

"So what you're saying is, your wardrobe is a portal to my universe," Calum muses.

I laugh. "Yeah, something like that."

I glance at the analog clock hanging beside the bathroom door. It reads half past six.

"Crap, is that the time?" I ask. Calum turns to have a look and nods.

"Looks like it."

"Well I must be going," I say, turning to go back into the closet.

"Goodbye Lyla," Calum calls after me as I push through several S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms and step into the white wall in the back of the closet.

Maybe he really isn't a mental patient. Maybe I am.

This time the journey was quick. I was instantly faced with the emptiness of my new bedroom instead of the sheer blackness I had met the first time.

I stand beside the vile desk chair, dumbfounded. Was all of that…real?

"Lyla!" my mum's impatient voice barks as she barges into my bedroom. "I've been calling you for the past ten minutes."

"Sorry, sorry…I was a bit preoccupied…with packing," I scramble to think of an excuse.

Her eyes shift to my still mostly full suitcases which lay open on the floor. She gives me a sceptical look and rolls her eyes.

"Right. Come on, dinner's ready."

After one last glance at my wardrobe, I shake my head and follow my mother to the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Hey everybody, thanks heaps for reviewing! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel**

* * *

I stare at my reflection in the mirrored wardrobe door, tugging a brush through my tangled hair. I'm clad in a plain black shirt and a random pair of jeans, almost ready for the school day ahead. From the corner of my eye I see my window, completely white; the building swallowed by fog.

Last night was completely and utterly restless. I laid awake in bed, staring at the dull ceiling for hours and hours, replaying yesterday's events in my mind. More specifically, my encounter with a junior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in another dimension. It had to have been some sort of hallucination, surely.

My eyes fixate on the bare inside of my wardrobe, still vacant from my clothes. I step closer, setting my hairbrush onto my dresser as I walk. Slowly, cautiously, I reach into the closet, extending my hand toward the back wall. As soon as my fingertips make contact with the wall, they continue inside the white plaster. My eyes widen. This can't be real.

Tentatively, I continue, my body following my arm. As soon as my head is through, I see darkness. Light seeps in from the crack between the double wardrobe doors. I lose my balance as soon as my entire body is inside the closet, falling forward into the doors. Squeezing my eyes shut just before impact, I brace myself for the pain. My body collides with the doors, and in turn crashes into the body of a boy. Calum.

"What the…?" he gasps, laying crushed beneath my body. A blush creeps onto my cheeks as I scramble off him and onto my feet. Calum stands, wearing only his underwear.

"We have to stop meeting like this," I remark, referring to his barely clothed state. Calum laughs, stepping around me to pull his uniform out of the wardrobe.

"I thought yesterday was a dream," he says as he pulls on the black S.H.I.E.L.D. issue cargo pants.

"Me too."

"So you really are from another universe then."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

An irritating silence fills the room as Calum continues to dress himself.

"Now that you're real, care to give me a tour of your universe?" I ask.

Calum casts me a look of uncertainty.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he responds.

"Why not?"

"As soon as you step foot outside this room, everybody's going to want to know where you came from."

"Yeah, so?"

"Lyla, this is S.H.I.E.L.D. we're talking about. They're going to take you in, run tests on you, do experiments…you won't be able to go back home," Calum explains.

"What?" I gasp. "Why on me? Why not the portal?"

"It's… After you left yesterday, I tried to follow you into the portal, but it didn't work."

"What are you saying?"

"It's you. There's something about you that makes you able to use the portal and no one else."

"Oh," I frown. My left fingers twirl the vintage silver ring on my right ring finger, feeling the fear begin to set in. What if someone comes in here, sees me and reports me?

"Don't worry, Lyla. I'll make sure nothing happens to you," Calum reassures me, enveloping my hand in his.

"Thanks," I say breathily, looking anywhere but into his eyes. My gaze finds the clock and I realise I'm late for school.

"I, uh, have to go," I scramble to find words. I yank my hand out of his and retreat back into the closet. Why must I be so awkward?

As soon as my face is through, I almost fall back into the Marvel Universe. Sitting there on my bed, legs crossed and lips pursed, is my mother.

"Um…" I mumble, avoiding her gaze and locking my stare to the fogged window.

"Don't ever go back there, Lyla," she warns sharply. I'm taken aback by her tone. I've never seen her this serious.

"Why?"

"Just promise me you won't!" I lean back, fear stricken from her raised voice.

Why can't I go back? It seems pretty harmless to me.

"Okay, okay, I promise," I reassure her.

Call me crazy, but I'm going back there to find out what has my mother so terrified, whether she likes it or not.

* * *

The entire drive to school is awkward and silent. My mum's eyes stay locked straight ahead, not giving me a single glance. I keep my gaze out my window, fascinated by the thick fog that surrounds us. You can barely see past two metres ahead.

I'm dreading the school day ahead as soon as the car pulls up in front of the ancient red brick building. Without a word, I climb out of the car. I'm not as invisible as I was yesterday. Quite the opposite, actually. Conversations halt, eyes are glued to me, whispers emerge.

"That's the girl who attacked Trish yesterday!" I hear a girl whisper to her friend. I immediately throw her a glare. That is not what happened. That evil cheerleader attacked me, I was just defending myself.

The girl jumps back, the colour leaving her cheeks, leaving her face unnaturally pale. I get similar reactions from quite a few more students, each one increasing my anger towards the cheerleader, _Trish_.

My eyes dart around the courtyard in a desperate search for Krystal, but I can't see the tiny brunette anywhere. Keeping my eyes glued to the crumbling cement before me, I make a beeline for the bathrooms. I swerve in and out of crowds of students until I make it to the building and the entrance to the bathrooms. I push the door open, revealing the dimly lit bathroom. As soon as I'm inside, I regret the decision immediately. There, standing before the mirror lined with sinks, is Trish and her cronies, applying their thousandth layer of make-up on their faces. One by one, they turn to face me, a cynical smile growing on Trish's face.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," she sneers.

"I didn't realise you were homeless," one of her sidekicks quips.

"I'm not homeless…"

"Oh, then why are you dressed like that?" Their disgusting, evil cackles fill the room. I swallow back the rapidly growing lump in my throat, trying everything to stop myself from shedding any tears.

"Aww, Sarah, you made her cry," their red-headed friend coos. The trio laugh again, flicking their perfectly styled hair. Trish is the first to make a move, the irritating click of her heels sounding as she walks. She shoves me aside into the door of a cubicle, making me collapse against it and onto the cold tiled floor beneath the toilet.

Once again, their laughs echo as they traipse out of the bathroom, leaving me on the cold hard ground, on the brink of tears.

* * *

I never went to class. I stayed in the same position, curled into a ball on the floor, sobbing for about twenty minutes, before I finally snapped out of it. Now I'm mindlessly wandering around New York City, hoping to stumble upon the entrance to my building. I gave up on trying to retrace this morning's drive to school, given the annoyingly thick fog which is still yet to lift. A few metres ahead I can faintly make out a sign in front of a cute little café.

 _Free wi-fi for all paying customers_

I begin to dig out the lunch money mum had given me. Six dollars, enough for at least a coffee. I don't waste any time in getting there, grabbing the internet password along with my caramel latte.

I take my seat while waiting for my phone to connect to the Wi-Fi. When it does, I locate my Maps app and punch in the address for the building. A little green pin pops up, literally right next to the pulsating blue dot which displays my location. I groan, locking my phone and banging my head repeatedly against the table.

"Here's your latte, suga'," a bubbly blonde woman with a southern accent places my drink on the table. "You alright?"

I immediately halt the head banging and flash her a smile. "I'm fine, thanks."

She looks at me skeptically but continues on her way anyway.

I chug the latte, burning my tongue as I go. All I can think about is going back into my closet, into the Marvel Universe, and into Calum's bedroom, hopefully seeing him half-naked again. That boy is dangerously good looking.

Having already paid for my drink, I rush straight to my apartment as soon as I'm finished. The doorman gives me a curious look as I race past him.

I tap my foot impatiently as I wait for the elevator to arrive. I feel a sudden urgency to be upstairs, to enter the closet and begin exploring the Marvel one.

A good three minutes passes before I'm inside my apartment. Without bothering to change my clothes, I step through the back wall of my wardrobe for the third time. This time I make sure to take my time, stepping through slowly and carefully. I manage to get through without losing my balance, and now I stand inside the dark closet, staring down the double doors. For a second I don't move, listening for any movement on the other side of the doors. I hear none, and slowly push one of the doors open. The room is empty.

I instantly head to the door of his bedroom, when Calum's words echo inside my mind.

 _They're going to take you in, run tests on you, do experiments…you won't be able to go back home._

I'm itching to have a look around, but I can't risk being trapped here forever. Instead, I turn my heel and head back into the wardrobe. I'm back inside my own room in an instant, but I don't stay. I jog to my mum's room and head straight for her closet. As I step through hers, just as carefully as I had done before.

Now I'm standing in this foreign closet, surrounded by several different S.H.I.E.L.D. issue uniforms, all seeming to be designed for a female. Bingo.

I peek through the wardrobe doors and find this room empty as well. I grin and push them open.

Turning back to face the closet, I'm faced with a dilemma. I see two different outfits in here. One sleek black body suit, a pair of black cargo pants with a matching top. I opt for the pants, going off what I'd seen Calum put on this morning. Quickly I strip, chucking my clothes back through the portal while pulling the cargo pants on. The fit is a bit loose for my liking, but it'll have to do.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, taking in my appearance. I definitely look like I've just stepped out of an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. I bound out of the girl's bedroom without a second thought.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **Thanks for reviewing everybody! Keep 'em coming :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel**

* * *

The hallway is just as bland as the two S.H.I.E.L.D. bedrooms I've encountered, if not more. I see a few agents scurry past me, only sparing me a single glance. So far, no one's seemed to question my presence, which relaxes me a little.

I keep my eyes peeled for any other junior agents, hoping to blend in with them. Taking a left, I find myself in a gym-like area, with a group of ten or so agents, along with two instructors, huddled around several sparring mats. I slip into the back of the group, going unnoticed while everyone's attention is focussed on the two leaders.

"Alright," the female instructor begins. She ties her black hair back into a messy pony tail while her blue eyes search the group. "Pair up and find a mat."

My eyes widen as I examine the group of junior agents around me. I have no fighting experience whatsoever, and one look at the muscles on these kids sends a surge of fear sweeping through my body. I'm going to get absolutely destroyed.

"Lyla!" I hear a voice, full of surprise, hiss from behind me. I whip around, my sights setting on Calum who towers before me.

"Hey…" I trail off. "Partner?"

We take the mat nearest us, while Calum seems to be trying to process my sudden appearance.

"What are you doing here?" he says lowly, glancing around to make sure no one is listening.

"I found another portal, to a girl's room this time. I snagged a uniform and found this place."

Calum lets out a frustrated sigh as we bow to each other, preparing for a fight. I try to follow his lead, but I can't seem to get the gist of this fighting thing.

"Go easy on me, hey?" I suggest. Calum agrees, but the smirk on his face says otherwise.

I get knocked the ground repeatedly, until finally an idea pops into my mind. God, I'm so stupid for not doing this earlier.

I keep getting thrashed until the perfect opportunity arises, and I get a perfect kick to Calum's nuts. Bingo.

He falls to the ground, wincing in pain as my victory laugh echoes through the gym. They should really invent suits with extra padding for the men.

"You, blondie," I hear the tall male instructor shout. I spin around to face him as he stalks toward me. I take a tiny step back. "You're not in this class."

"Umm…" I bite my lip and avoid to make contact with his icy stare.

"And by the looks of you, you're not in Operations either."

"Umm…"

Calum scrambles up from his pitiful position on the floor to stand in front of me, blocking my view of the mean instructor. By now, the other students had stopped their sparring and gathered to see what the commotion is about.

"Lyla's new, sir," Calum says confidently. He shouldn't be doing this. If they find out he's lying, he could get in serious trouble. But instead of contradicting him, I stay silent.

"I wasn't informed that there were any new recruits," the instructor counters.

"She's…brand new, sir. Director Coulson recruited her himself, sir." Calum's monotone voice begins to scare me a little.

"Well if that's the case, I'm sure the Director would love to come down and see how is special little recruit is doing."

I gulp as a knowing smirk grows on his face, my eyes widening with every word. The other instructor, the female, already has Coulson on the phone. Surely he's too busy to come down here, right? He's the Director after all.

Unfortunately for us, Coulson saunters through the gym entrance only minutes later. As soon as his eyes land on me, a shocked expression crosses his face only briefly, before a mask of calmness replaces it.

Both Calum and I stand stiffly, which probably gives us away. I swallow back the lump in my throat, preparing to be exposed as an intruder before the entire group. But Coulson seems to have another idea.

"You two, walk with me," he says, turning his back to us again and leaving the room. Calum and I share a worried glance before scurrying after him. We walk in silence, until we take a sharp right turn into a dark room; an interrogation room by the looks of it.

Coulson separates us, having me sit before the table on left side of the room, while Calum is sent to the right. The Director follows Calum, but not before tapping a few buttons on a small panel by the door, bringing up a wall between us. I groan. This is awful.

It's a painful thirty minutes waiting for Coulson to come interrogate me, but eventually he enters the dimly lit room and sits opposite me.

"Lyla, is it?" he asks. I nod rapidly, looking him dead in the eyes. My heart races, pounding in my chest so loudly I'm sure Coulson can hear it.

"Who are you, Lyla? Are you HYDRA?" His tone verges on threatening, but never loses his scarily calm edge.

Before I can answer, he speaks again. "And Calum, is he HYDRA too?"

I can't even lie to my teachers about my incomplete homework, let alone to the director of a spy agency. The best thing I could do right now, both for Calum and myself, is to tell the truth. So I do.

I start from the beginning, with my unpacking of clothes and falling into the wardrobe, all the way to my finding a portal to a girl's room and trying to pass as a junior agent to see what things are like in S.H.I.E.L.D..

For a while, the fear of him not believing a word I'm saying burns in my mind, but towards the end of my story, Coulson seems convinced.

"You're a Traveller," he states, a fascinated tone in his voice.

"A what? A Traveller? What is that?" I question.

"I don't know much about your kind, but I do know that you're supposed to be extinct."

"My kind? Extinct? Are you saying I'm some sort of alien?!" I can't keep the shriek out of my voice, despite my best attempts to remain calm.

"As I said, I don't know much. Maybe your parents could tell you more, I don't know," he replies. "But for now, we're going to put you through a lie detector test with Agent Koenig, and if you pass you're free to go."

"Oh," I frown. He doesn't know. "Thanks, sir."

"Oh, and one more thing, Lyla. I'd keep the Traveller thing to yourself. If word gets out, you could be in trouble. Just stick to the story Calum gave me and you'll be fine."

"What did he say?"

"He can tell you that one."

I nod and stand to follow Coulson through a door to find one of the many, many Koenig brothers sitting before his fancy lie detector, the one even Black Widow can't beat.

Coulson's right. My mind flashes back to moments in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., like when Jemma would itch to take blood samples and run tests on people with inhuman abilities. Her and other agents' curiosity could be dangerous to me.

I sit through the quick lie detector test, answering all the questions with full honesty.

After all that is finished, I get escorted back to Calum's room by Coulson himself and I enter the portal without a second thought.

I'm met with the same view as I had leaving the Marvel Universe this morning; a fogged up window and a very angry, very disappointed mother.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **Hey guys, here's the next one! Sorry that it took a little while to update. I've been super busy and time just kinda got away from me. Just a little word of warning, I have exams coming up so updates will be a little slow, but I'm going to try my best to keep on top of this. Anyhoo, enjoy this one! :)**

 **Oh, also, thanks for the reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.**

* * *

"I told you to stay out of there! You promised me yet you still went back!" she shouts, causing the hairs on my arms to stand up.

"I'm sorry," I blubber, tears forming in my eyes. I examine her face, seeing bloodshot eyes and red puffy cheeks. She's been crying.

"You never listen to me, Lyla. You always do whatever you want, never thinking about the consequences."

All I can do is nod, a foolproof method I've picked up in all my years of doing the wrong thing. I've never seen her this furious, even after I accidentally dropped her phone in the pool when I was thirteen. Some smarty pants I was, thinking I'd be able to play Angry Birds while I was chilling in the pool. And an angry bird my mother was.

A few wordless moments pass, with only the sounds of my mother's sobs filling the apartment.

I contemplate asking her, despite her woeful state.

"Why don't you want me going there?"

"That's not something you need to know," my mother replies, her words sharp and dangerous.

"Clearly it is." I don't bother hiding the attitude behind my words. "Are you a Traveller too?"

Her eyes widen considerably in shock.

"Where did you learn that word?" she gasps.

"Answer my question first."

"Lyla, please," she begs, but I refuse to let up.

"No, tell me why I can't go in there!"

"Lyla!"

"Mum," I mimic her tone.

"Lyla, I lost your father in there, and I don't want to lose you too."

"W-what?" I stutter. "What happened?"

My mother sucks in a sharp breath, preparing to tell me the story.

"Your father was a Traveller, Ly," she begins slowly, the tears welling in her eyes. I feel my own begin to prick as she continues. "There were only twelve at the time, all hunted by the Exterminators."

I listen intently, soaking in the information she's giving me.

"This group, they're dangerous. They came together to take out mutants, Inhumans, or anyone of the sort, supposedly to protect the human race. If you were a normal mutant, it wouldn't be so dangerous for you. But you aren't."

My eyes are wide with curiousity, urging mum to continue.

"Every time you go through a portal, there's a spike in cosmic energy which they can trace. And since you're the only one left, and the first to activate a portal in seventeen years, you're going to be on the top of their hit list."

"But mum, it's safe. The portal leads to S.H.I.E.L.D.. They can keep me safe."

Mum looks sceptical. "I don't think you quite understand how dangerous these people are. Travellers are very powerful, but they still lost."

"How powerful exactly?"

"I don't know for sure, but because you're only half Traveller, you could be a lot less capable of protecting yourself."

"So what do you know about Travellers then?"

"Not too much, I'm afraid."

My mum turns her back to me and disappears, only to return mere seconds later, clutching a small brown notebook. I stare at it curiously.

"I was hoping to never have to give this to you," she says silently, gingerly passing the tattered leather notebook to me. My fingers gently brush over the cover, following the grooved pattern.

"What is it?" I ask her, while carefully opening it to the first page.

"It's been in the family for decades, passed down generation to generation. Everything you need to know about Travellers is in this book." I glance down at the decrepit notebook, on the brink of completely falling apart, and notice the keyhole that keeps it locked. My finger runs delicately across the lock, afraid that one sharp movement could break it.

My eyes find themselves looking at my mother again, who is unclipping the golden chain that hangs off her neck, one I've never seen her without. She passes it to me, which I examine briefly before clasping it around my own neck. It's a key, to the notebook it seems. Not wanting to overwhelm my mother more than I already have, I leave the necklace on and place the book gently on my bedside table. I have a lot of bedtime reading to do tonight it seems.

* * *

Mum and I sit at the dining table in silence, with only the sounds of cutlery scraping against plates to be heard. My food sits on the table before me, the plate almost untouched. I chew slowly, not allowing myself to swallow until it's just a tasteless mush that was once lasagne.

The windows, oddly enough, are still completely whited-out by the fog. I've never seen anything like it. Sure, I've witnessed fog before, heaps of times, but every time it would disappear within a matter of hours. This fog has hung over the city since this morning. It must be a New York thing, I guess.

I begin to recount the events of the past few days in my mind, playing the scenes in my head like a movie. I try to hide the smile that's beginning to creep onto my face when I picture Calum, standing buck naked in his room when I stumbled inside. That really was a day to remember.

"What are you grinning about?" Mum asks, an amused smile appearing on her pale face.

"Nothing, nothing," I respond, stifling giggles as she continues to stare me down.

"Come on, spill," she urges.

I ponder for a second, before finally deciding to tell her. After all, she's currently the only person I can actually talk to about this stuff. I can't exactly tell any of my actual friends about Calum and the whole Traveller shebang.

I begin my story from the moment I crashed through his wardrobe doors and seeing his flushed cheeks as he scrambled for his towel.

"Sounds like you have a crush," she coos. "My little girl is growing up!"

I groan. "I don't have a crush on Calum."

"Sure, whatever you say," she responds sardonically, wearing an annoyingly sly grin. She stands from the table, gathering both her plate and mine. My glare follows her to the kitchen, her bellowing laughter floating through the apartment. I can't stay mad for long though, her laughter causing a rush of happiness to surge through me.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N**

 **Thanks for reviewing guys! Special shout out to Ophelia Claire and MysteryGal5 for their continued support 3 Anyhoo, here it is, chapter 6!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel**

* * *

To leave or not to leave, that is the question. My sights are set on the clock that sits left of the whiteboard, counting down the seconds until our first break. Two minutes until the bell, and the only thoughts going through my brain are those of dread. I've already had another run-in with those cheerleaders this morning, and it wasn't pretty. Trish scratched my arm in passing, her manicured nails drawing blood. The other two just threw an insult or three my way, but apart from that, I survived. Although, I can almost imagine the showdown between me and Trish at lunch. Wagging the rest of the school day seems like the only option for me right now. Mum's always said that running away from your problems is never the solution, but I would much rather be curled up on the couch watching Marvel movies than have food thrown at me or my feelings destroyed.

I haven't been back in the Marvel universe since the talk I had with mum on Friday. She made it quite clear that she didn't want me going back there. My curiosity always wins out in the end, so I'm giving it a few days for her to relax a bit before going back in. Besides, what she doesn't know won't kill her.

Lost in my thoughts, I'm knocked out of my trance by the obnoxiously dull bell that rings through the school. My old school didn't even have a bell.

I decide to stick out the rest of the day, remembering how disappointed my mum was when she got a text from the school saying I was absent. She mentioned it to me after dinner on Friday, having been too preoccupied with the Traveller stuff to tell me off immediately when she got home.

My two lunch breaks are spent hiding out in the back of the library, sneakily eating my lunch behind the history shelves. Considering what I've gathered from the cheerleaders in American movies, Trish wouldn't step foot in the library in a million years, so I should be safe.

I went most of the day unscathed, that is until I bump into her in the courtyard after school.

"Ew," is the first word she says to me when she sees me. I picture a little baby, with Trish's caked face on it, and her nasally voice spitting that word out. I can't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" she spits. She seems more vicious without her cronies, if that's possible.

"Nothing, nothing," I stammer, trying to stifle the giggles threatening to spill out.

She scowls, knowing full well that I was laughing at her.

"You're going to be sorry you ever stepped foot into my school," she seethes.

"Your school? Honey, don't be ridiculous," I quip back, anticipating a harsh reaction from her. Instead, she's eerily calm, turning her back on me and stalking away, but not before shooting me one last icy glare. She's scheming something in that evil cheerleader head of hers, and I get the feeling I will be very sorry after this.

* * *

I lay fully awake in bed, my eyes trained on the ceiling. It's 11PM, and I'm waiting for my mum to fall asleep before I can make a move. My eyes wander over the wardrobe, one that I would hopefully be walking through very soon. Next my sights set on the tattered brown notebook sitting on my bedside table. I had flicked through it the night it was given to me, but a lot of the writing had faded away, and most of the information that's still legible is confusing to me. There's a list of universes in there, but the portals that lead to them are almost completely illegible to me, this time the handwriting being a bigger problem than faded ink.

I decide to go through it again, hoping to be able to make out some of the portal locations to these universes. With this new incentive in mind, I flip the switch to my bedside lamp and gently lift the notebook off the table. I lift the book to my neck, where I insert the key pendant inside. I twist, a click sounding as it unlocks.

An hour or so passes while I'm completely enthralled by the notebook, so carried away with reading it that I nearly fail to notice that mum's lights are out, and have been for quite a while.

Quietly, I climb off my bed and shut the door to my bedroom. As silently and carefully as I can, I step into the wardrobe and through the white wall.

I stand inside the wardrobe on the other side, frozen. The light that usually seeps through the cracks between the doors is no more, leaving me in complete and utter darkness. Slowly, carefully, I push one of the doors as quietly as possible. It opens, revealing a room in complete blackness.

One step at a time, I make my way over to where I remember the bed to be situated, but I forgot to include the fact that this is a boy's room into the equation. My barefoot lands on a piece of material that sits on the floor, forcing me to slip and lose my balance. I hit the ground with a thud, one loud enough to wake the sleeping boy. The lights in the room switch on instantly, revealing my pathetic position on the floor and Calum in all his shirtless glory. Honestly, does that boy ever wear clothes?

"What are you doing here?" he groans, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he sits back on his bed, relieved that I'm not the intruder he was expecting.

I fling the article of clothing I had slipped on, a plain grey training shirt, and shoot him a glare.

"Well I was coming to visit my dear friend Calum, but I know when I'm not wanted," I joke, standing up and dusting off my pyjama shorts. His eyes soften, a small smile curling at his lips.

"Shut up," he laughs. "What's up?"

"Not much, really. Coulson said to use the story you gave him as a cover, but he wouldn't tell me what it is…care to explain?"

"Oh…um…" Calum trails, the faintest red tinging his cheeks.

"Go on, spill," I urge.

"You're my girlfriend from SciTech and you snuck into Operations to see me."

I try to scowl, but I can't resist the smile that breaks through.

"You're making me the clingy one, huh?" I tease. Calum laughs, falling back onto his bed.

"If I remember correctly, I'm not the one who broke into the other's room when they were half dressed," he counters playfully.

"That was your own fault."

Suddenly, alarms start blaring and a look of confusion mixed with fear crosses both of our faces. Calum leaps out of his bed and tugs a fresh training outfit on before we head for the door. The hallways are dimmed, with harsh red lights swirling on the walls and screaming students file through the halls to safety. A clear mist begins to form, a safety precaution of some sort I presume, gradually thickening as the seconds tick by.

My eyes widen in realisation. Mum said that each time I go through the portal, it causes a spike in cosmic energy which can be traced. What if I'm the reason that this is happening?

"Go back home!" Calum shouts over the deafening alarm.

"No! I'm not leaving you here."

We look fearfully at the frantic students when Director Coulson emerges from the crowd.

"Go, go!" he shouts, waving us back into Calum's room. "I've got this taken care of."

Calum and I share a confused glance. "But he can't-"

"He can, just make sure you're touching when you go through," Coulson instructs before disappearing again.

Without another thought, Calum and I run back into his room and toward the closet. Linking hands, we step through, and sure enough, Calum enters the portal.

My room is silent, serene in comparison to the chaos we just escaped.

"Welcome to my chambers." Calum just looks at me, not a sound leaving his mouth, not even a chuckle. "Nothing? Seriously?" I ask incredulously.

He suddenly bursts out into a fit of the fakest laughter I've ever heard, bringing an unimpressed frown to my lips.

"That was rude," I mumble.

Silence washes over us, which sends my mind into a frenzy. The guilt of leaving those frightened junior agents behind, the ones in serious trouble because of me.

"I should go back," I say.

"No, you need to stay here, where it's safe," Calum replies sternly.

"But they're in trouble because of me!"

"Be that as it may, Coulson's orders were to come here, and here you'll stay."

"What about you?"

"You're going to help me get back."

"So how come I have to stay here, but you get to go back?" I ask.

"Because my little sister is in there and I have to make sure she's safe," he responds, a determine look on his face.

"Alright, but I'm coming with," I insist.

"Fine, but you have to stick by me at all times."

"Yes, mother."

Calum and I link hands again and don't hesitate when we dive into the portal, milliseconds before colliding into two tall, well-built men holding the biggest guns I've ever seen.

"Uh oh."


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N**

 **Heyoo, sorry for being MIA for a little while, I had exams and tournaments and all that, but now I'm back! Thanks for reviewing the previous chapters, they mean a lot to me!**

 **By the way, for those of you wondering, worry not, the Avengers will play a big part in this story soon.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel**

* * *

I hear voices. They sound distant, but close by at the same time. My arms are restrained to my sides and my body is strapped to what feels like a table, a cold one at that.

I try to open my eyes, but my body won't listen to my mind's commands. Slowly, I begin to regain the feeling in my limbs, but the restraints on my body limit my movement. I try to wriggle my wrists out of the clasps, but they're bound tight.

"Sir, she's beginning to regain consciousness," a woman says. Something about her voice sends shivers down my spine. I force my eyes open, only to see a bright light shone in my eyes, but I can faintly make out a female scientist by my bedside, looking down on a clipboard and writing some notes.

"Her body temperature is dropping at an alarming rate," she comments to somebody behind her.

"Should we put her under again?" It's a man who speaks this time.

"I think it's best we keep her awake for now."

I shake my head slowly, squeezing my eyes shut to avoid the glare of the light. Seconds later, I open them again, except now my vision is almost completely blurred. A thick layer of mist floats between me and the woman, almost fully erasing her from my vision.

"What's happening?" the man shouts.

"I think it's her," she responds. Me? "It's a defence mechanism. When she's scared or in pain, she unintentionally uses her ability."

Ability? The heck?

"Well what are you waiting for then? Sedate her before she fills this whole building with her fog shit," the man growls. Before I can fully process his words, something sharp and needle-like is pushed into my arm, pulling me back into unconsciousness.

* * *

The next time I wake up, the bright light that burned my eyes, the shackles and the 'scientists' I saw the first time are no longer, replaced by a filthy, empty and dim space, cut off by bars to create a jail-like air. An agonizing headache overpowers all other feeling in my body, leaving me to struggle to process what's happening. Pressing two fingers to each temple, my eyes shift around, taking in my surroundings.

The place resembles that of the dungeons from those medieval movies, with a lining of dusty cells on one side of the walkway. Looking to my left first, I gasp at the sight of each and every cell occupied, mostly just by kids like me. Some are sleeping, others are crying, but most just sit silently, contemplating their lives behind the rusty metal bars. Turning my head to the right, I'm met with the same sight. Kid after kid after kid, all smeared with dirt and blood stains, which makes me heart jump to my throat.

One particular figure, sprawled on the cold stone floor of the cell beside mine, catches my eye. Calum's unmistakeable spikey brown hair and his toned physique lay lifelessly, making my heart pound in my chest.

"Calum," I hiss, crawling over to the bars where our cells meet. Nothing, not even a twitch. "Cal!"

I try to reach into the cell, but as soon as my skin brushes one of the bars, a jolt is sent through my body, jerking me back.

I groan, and return to just calling his name. Slowly but surely, Calum begins to stir. He seems dazed as he sits up, but he's up in full beast mode when he finally processes what's going on.

"Lyla," he calls as soon as he spots me, racing to the bars keeping us from each other. I wince has he grabs them, only to be sent flying back from the electric shock.

"What happened?" Calum asks after he recovers. He steps closer again, but this time careful not to touch the metal. I think back to the last thing I remember, and that's returning to the Marvel Universe, only to run into the two scariest guys I've ever seen. Everything after is a complete blank.

"We got caught," I state bluntly, not quite sure how else to say it.

Suddenly an image of my mum flashes in my mind. She's probably already woken up to find me gone, and freaking out. I can just imagine her hysteria.

"Calum," I sniffle. "What are we going to do?"

"Don't you worry, Ly," he says reassuringly. "I'll get us out of here."

"How? We don't know where we are or how we got here. We're trapped."

"Lyla, listen to me, okay?" My eyes shift from the dusty floor to meet his green ones. "We will get out of here. S.H.I.E.L.D. is looking for us, I promise you. We'll get out of here."

"You don't know that!" I'm shouting now, tears of distress streaming down my cheeks.

"Shut up, will you?" I spin around to see the girl in the other cell beside mine. She's laying casually on the ground, picking at her nails.

"Well unlike your lazy arse, I'm actually trying to get us out of here," I snap back at her.

"Everyone's tried, honey," she responds with a dry laugh. "Stretchy over there was our best shot."

I follow her gaze to see a boy, about our age. "What do you mean?" I ask her.

"He looks normal now, but he can stretch his limbs to fit through almost anything," she explains.

"You mean like a superpower?" Calum asks, jumping into our conversations.

"Uh, yeah. That's why we're all here, dumbass."

"I don't have a-" Calum begins, but I interrupt him.

"The fog," I whisper in sudden realisation.

As if on cue, a faint mist begins to fill the room, thickening by the second. Soon, the entire area is coated in a thick white fog.


End file.
